Two-toned automobile-horn control.



e. w. FLEMING.-

TWO-TONED AUTOMOBILE HORN CONTROL.

APPLICATION- fILED AER. 2h19t8.

Patnted Apr. 1, 19121 INVENTOR,

Qaiyfi MIT 07:125.

WITNESS:

A TTORNE Y.

electric switches, and is particularly UNITED sTATEs PATENT. o IoE. 7

GEORGE W. FLEMING, 0F SPRTNGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS.

TWO-TUNED AUT OMOIBILE-HORN CONTROL.

Application filed April 27, 1918. Serial No. 281,075.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE residing at Springfield, in' the county of Hampden and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Two-Toned Automobile-110m Controls, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvement in signed for use in sounding the usual electric the usual horn is such that oftentimes it does horn on automobiles, motor cycles, or trucks for the purpose of giving the necessary warning when'the driver of the machine is about to pass another machine or warn a person on the roadway. The loudness of to permit the the one'ahead especially not give suflicient warning driver of the machine to pass of his without involving danger,

where the roadwayis narrow as in the country. This invention embodies a switch, the normal position of which is designed. to close an electric circuit horn of ordinary loudness, and, if to close another circuit to permit the same or another horn to be sounded to produce a louder tone, and, after the operator has released his hand, the switch will automati-'v cally return to its normal position. The invention broadly comprises a .base piece that is designed to fit within the upper end of the steering post, or tube; electric terminals em- I bedded within'the. base piece, a cap rotatably mounted thereon and having electric terminals embedded therein for contacting with those on the base, and, having means for normally holding the cap elevated for separating the contacts, and means for normally holding the cap in this inoperative position;

also means to permit the cap to be rotated,

' and, when simultaneously moved downward,

Specification of Letters Patent.

W. FLEMrNe, a citizen of the'United States of America,

so as to sound a desired,

the

Patented Apr. 1, 1 919.

cap-piece in section, the spring for holding I the cap piece elevated, and the wires'there- 1n and with their cooperating contact terminals separated.

Fig. 3 1s a perspective view of the cap, .the same being inverted to illustrate the hub and sector shaped pieces formed integral therewith.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2', showing the expansion spring located the base piece, ends of which are located in the base piece, the sector shaped piece on the ca and located in the are shaped opening 0 the base bears, also the contact arm which is carin the are shaped recesses of the are shaped rod, opposite and against which the compression spring ried by the cap. In the position of the parts shown in this figure, the arm is located above the contact that is connected to the horn for sounding the normal signal, and, shown in' dotted lines the other terminal which leads to the same. or a difl'erent how for sounding a louder signal.

Fig. 5 is a view showing the contact arm located over the second terminal for sounding the louder horn, and with the cap returning spring compressed.

Fig. 6 is a perspective vlew of the'base g I piece showing. the cut out portionwith the opposite shoulders, and the opening in which is fitted a hub of the cap piece.

Referring to the drawings in detail:

'1 indicates the upper end of the tubular steering post, 2 the base piece of the switch, 3 thehub part of base piece which is fitted into tube 1.

upper end of the opening being formed with an annular recess 5, 6 and 7 designate The hub 3 is provided with an opening 4 extending therethrough, the

the shoulder portions of the base piece 2 having openings 8 and 9 therein, in which i is located the are shaped rod 10 shown clearly in Figs. 4 and 5. The base piece is provided with contact terminals 11 and 12 to which the wires 13 and 14: are connected,

which wires extend downward through the post 1,shown in Fig. 2. 15 .designates a cappiece which is mounted for ase piece 2 and is formed with a downwardly extending side or flange 16L Formed also integral with or connected through the rotation on the cap piece 15, is a cylindrical hub 17 whichl is centrally located as shown in Fig. 2, 1n the opening 4 of the base piece. Passing i the cop is e elec' 1c tori s enol or which is "it lends to the ten this battery or other source J The enol 20 or the downwero end its free end extend iy below the 'sn-risceZi of or 3). llJOCflirSOl in the re- 5 is s coileol expansion springQZ which elly nmintnins the esp l5 t -e elevntedi shown in 2,. end with. end E above the contsct terminal 11 in the hose --77hensloy the electric circuit is noris connected the nsnel horn. it mentor Wishes to sound horn, ie

ion of the spring 22 hnnging t 20 end it together tie rn device is sonn'oleoiq ring new to the construction end;

new. with s segment shepecl block 23, which is connected to'or ionnietl with the cop es shown in 2, 5; The are shaped rod it passes tnrongh on open the piece nteel on this red and het'weenthe shonl- S the surface 2 of the piece23 a nsion spring 25 the operation of to normally hold. the block 23 can sgeinst the shoulder 7 of the shown in Fig e L also the o Whole so that the terminals 20 oppositely locetecle Shonlcl it to sound the louder horn,' the one crater simultaneously With his pressing clown'wertl on'the ceplo against the tension of the spring 22, rotates the cap to the position shown in Fig. 5, thus compressing the spring 25 snol moving the contact arm 18 so that the end 20 is over the contact "errnh nsl that lends-to the lender horn (not shown) thus closingthe circuit to the larger horn whereby it signal is sonnoecl of greater loudness than that during noimsl operalt is clear thet the horn "would he hiown as long as the-operator holtis the cop compressed. against the tension of Upon releasing his hand an, is immediately eleveteel h 22 sncl returned to its norm 1 11 shown in it toy-the spi v i e end 20 of the arm 18 over the cone or terminal it: lit is "hen in posi-- r normal operation, or for sounding signal of normal loudness" it will he se from this construction that l hnvepro vised a switch for use upon the steering post or other desirable location of a motor vehicle that Will permit of souncling the horn of usual loudness or tone and is ecl for needy adjustment for sounding horn t1 ,pieee when coo opened it losing understood that the a-w'nn erol on the cop i5 and against .111911 of sounding the seconol horn or it will he noticed that the cop l5 Positions .cno

inernhers ednptetl the combination with e arranged tstchle depress. loose piece iin contact one oi 'i he clesigneo o terniinsls in the h tcrl snot sirn teneonsly depresse 9 inenns for normally tsining the cop elevated and the termii separated but designs-cl to he brought contact W n the csp'is only clepressecl sounding one horn means to permit t to he moved into a position for bring in the into contact with a. s end or erent tewninel in the loose for second horn of ness than is sonnoiecl when the cop i depresses, and means for automation turning the cop to its origi nnl position 2. A switch of the close -describes; W prising e hose piece formed with o, cut one portion, e, ififiilOCiii/itl in ssiol 'por spring monnteri on the ettochecl to the cop one monnte-cl on the 1 and against which o e e or he s gages for moving the cop, n ehly supporting the on v e and for permitting; .gnovenmnt 21g no tension of the spring 's' seeecl'electric nels on the loose piece, end or tefininsl o can W 11h terminals e niece, may he gage one 63. e electric circuit and whereby the wnl serve I the can encl its terminal for nornoel ope. tion oi the switch; Y

cl esp e poin 3., A switch forcsnsing the sonnfiing; two electric horns tor niotor "vehicles comprising s port o v having two electric sloly mounted on th s terminsi e'ispteol of the terminals c for norm recs, solo n .Lf. .e if ,L r W n q ion QJL the cap to cling over cit;

nose

.c L 'rst positio strstion I s in the has 7 1 electric s of cliirerent oin/n comprising in conih i each other coop s members means it rsngctl spring" for is ininals separated, means including a spring Whose axis is arc-shaped for automatically returning the cap to Its normal position for sounding a horn of low tone when moved axially and after having been moved into a position for sounding a horn of higher tone, for the purpose described.

5. An electric switch for closing one or more electric circuits for sounding one or more electric horns, and comprising in combination, a base and cap piece having move ment relative to each other cooperating electric terminals in the base and cap, means including an axially arranged spring for normally maintaining the terminals which close the circuit to the horn of low tone open, means including an arc-shaped rod secured to the base piece, a spring thereon engaging the cap and base piece to permit rotation of the cap to a osition to permit closure of the terminals 0 the circuit which sound the horn of higher tone and for returning the cap to its first or normal position.

6. A switch for the purpose described, comprising a base piece having an arcshaped cut away portion, a rod secured in said portion, a cap rotatably mounted on the base-piece and having a piece thereon which enters the cut away portion and an opening therethrough to receive the rod, a spring on .the rod and located between the segmental piece and a shoulder of the base-piece for maintaining the cap in position for-sounding a horn of usual loudness and permitting rotation of the cap into a position for sounding a horn of greater loudness, contacts in base and cap for closure when the cap is depressed, and means for normally maintaining the cap elevated and the contacts separated.

GEORGE WV. FLEMING. 

